Urmston
Encyclopedia
Urmston ˈɜrmstən is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford
, in Greater Manchester
, England, with a population of around 41,000. Historically
a part of Lancashire
, it lies about six miles (10 km) to the southwest of Manchester city centre
. The southern boundary is marked by the River Mersey
and the Mersey Valley, with Stretford
lying to the east and Flixton
to the west. Davyhulme
lies to the north of the town centre. Urmston covers an area of 4,799 acres (19 km²).
The town has early medieval origins, and until the arrival of the railway in 1873 was a small farming community. The railway acted as a catalyst, transforming the town into a residence for the middle classes. Today, Urmston is one of the major urban areas within Trafford: it includes the areas of Davyhulme
and Flixton
.
, fragments of Roman pottery were found in the area now occupied by Urmston cemetery – previously the site of Urmston Old Hall – suggesting that there may have been a Roman settlement on the site. In the early 13th century, Lord Greenhalgh and his family lived Highfield House (under what is now the M60 motorway).
Shortly after the Norman conquest of England
, between 1069 and 1070, William the Conqueror led a military campaign against the Saxon Earl Edwin
, who ruled England north of the River Mersey. On the campaign's successful conclusion, William gave his kinsman Roger de Poictou all of the land between the River Mersey
and the River Ribble
. Part of this land was in turn given to Albert de Greslet, who towards the end of the 12th century, bestowed as much land as a team of oxen could plough in one year upon Orme Fitz Seward, the son of Edward Aylward. It is probable that the name Urmston is derived from Orme's Easton, or Ormestun, the "tun" or dwelling of Orme Fitz Seward.
The Manor of Urmston was rented by a family using the local surname. The earliest known member of the Urmston family is Richard de Urmston, who was recorded in 1193–4 as giving 40 shillings "for having the king's good will". Orme Fitz Seward's land passed to Richard de Trafford in the 13th century. The de Trafford family later lost the land, but won it back as the result of a duel.
Urmston Old Hall was the home of the manorial lord, and a centre of power in the area during the Middle Ages. The Old Hall was completely rebuilt in brick and timber in the late 16th century. New Croft Hall, also in Urmston, was the residence of a wealthy freeman and may have been moated. Urmston was only one of three manors in Trafford to have had two medieval halls, the others being Hale
and Timperley
. Neither of the halls has survived to the present day.
Farming was the main occupation in Urmston until the early 19th century, when weaving became a significant source of employment, although this later declined due to competition from large industry. In 1848, the population was recorded as being 771, with around 80% of the land being farmed. The opening of the Cheshire Lines Railway
in 1873 allowed the town to grow as a commuter town
: between 1871 and 1901 the population grew by over 650%, from 996 to 6,594. By 1901, farming had virtually died out in Urmston, and the town became a residence for the middle classes.
In 1948 the then Minister for Health, Aneurin Bevan
, conducted the symbolic inauguration of the National Health Service
at Davyhulme's Park Hospital, now renamed Trafford General Hospital. The area was home to the first District heating
system in England. In operation by 1948, a boiler house supplied hot water to 200 homes on a newly-built housing estate. The water was heated with low-grade fuels such as peat
and coke
, with houses built in groups of four for better efficiency.
Once a township within the parish of Flixton, Urmston became an urban district
of the administrative county
of Lancashire
, under the Local Government Act 1894
. The Local Government Act 1972
abolished the Urban District of Urmston
and in 1974 Urmston became a district of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in the metropolitan county
of Greater Manchester.
The parliamentary constituency of Stretford and Urmston was formed in 1997. Kate Green
, a member of the Labour Party
, became the MP
at the 2010 General Election, with a majority of 8,935, representing 48.6% of the vote. The Conservatives
took 28.7% of the vote, the Liberal Democrats
16.9%, the United Kingdom Independence Party
3.4%, the Green Party
2.0%, and the Christian Party 0.4%.
Urmston is one of the four major urban areas in Trafford, the other three being Altrincham
, Sale
and Stretford
. In local elections for Trafford
Council, Urmston is split into four wards: Davyhulme East, Davyhulme West, Flixton and Urmston. Like every other ward in Trafford they are each represented by three local councillors, giving Urmston 12 of the 63 seats on Trafford Council; as of the 2010 local election
eleven of these were held by the Conservative Party, and one by Labour. The wards elect in thirds on a four yearly cycle
.
Urmston occupies an area of 7.5 square miles (19.4 km²), at 53°26′55"N 2°22′29"W (53.4487, –2.3747); it is approximately 137 feet (42 m) above sea level at its highest point. The land is relatively flat, sloping gently from north to south. Urmston's climate is generally temperate
, with few extremes of temperature or weather. The mean temperature is slightly above average for the United Kingdom. Annual rainfall and average amount of sunshine are both slightly below the average for the UK.
Urmston comprises the local areas of Davyhulme
, Flixton
, and Urmston, with the River Mersey
forming the southern boundary. For administrative reasons, Partington is sometimes considered to be part of Urmston. The most southerly part of Urmston lies within the flood plain of the River Mersey, an area known as Urmston Meadows, part of the Mersey Valley. Much work was carried out in the 1970s to canalise the Mersey, in an effort to speed up the flow of floodwater and thus reduce the risk of flooding. Upstream emergency floodbasins such as Sale Water Park
, lying just to the east of Urmston, have also been constructed. The M60 Manchester orbital motorway
passes through the northern half of Urmston, from southeast to northwest, and the M62 motorway
lies just to the west. The Thirlmere Aqueduct
also passes through the Urmston area.
As of the 2001 UK census
, Urmston had a population of 40,964. The population density was 10881 PD/sqmi, and for every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. Of the 19,172 households in Urmston, 39.9% were married couples living together, 29.6% were one-person households, 7.7% were co-habiting
couples and 8.9% were lone parents. Of those aged 16–74 in Urmston, 25.5% had no academic qualifications, slightly high compared to 21.3% for all of Trafford but slightly lower than the and 28.9% in England.
, in the north of Urmston. Some local residents felt that it brought about the decline of Urmston Precinct, the town's central shopping area – dating back to the 1960s – where many units closed or became "pound shops". As of 2007, Urmston Precinct is being demolished and a £45 million redevelopment of the site is underway, to include 140000 square feet (13,006 m²) of retail and leisure space and 144 apartments. A new Sainsbury's opened in the summer of 2009 as did the relocated local library with the rest of the new shopping precinct expected to follow later in the year.
The average price for a semi-detached
home in Urmston is £155,475, whilst a detached house will cost on average £247,630. Semi-detached prices have more than doubled from an average of £60,000 in 1998, although house prices in most areas of the country have seen a similar increase. These figures are, however, below the England and Wales
average.
As of the 2001 UK census, Urmston had a possible workforce of approximately 32,996 people. The economic activity of residents in Urmston was 46.1% in full-time employment, 12.6% in part-time employment, 6.9% self-employed, 2.1% unemployed, 2.5% students with jobs, 3.0% students without jobs, 14.7% retired, 4.5% looking after home or family, 5.4% permanently sick or disabled and 2.2% economically inactive for other reasons. Urmston has a low rate of unemployment (2.1%) compared with Trafford (2.7%) and England (3.3%). The Office for National Statistics
estimated that during the period of April 2001 to March 2002 the average gross weekly income of households in Urmston was £504 (£26,209 per year).
According to the 2001 UK census, the industry of employment of residents in Urmston was 17.1% retail and wholesale, 14.0% health and social work, 13.9% manufacturing, 13.4% property and business services, 8.1% transport and communications, 7.2% education, 6.8% construction, 5.3% finance, 4.9% public administration and defence, 3.4% hotels and restaurants, 0.9% energy and water supply, 0.4% agriculture, 0.1% in mining, and 4.3% other. This was roughly in line with national figures.
was formed as the Urmston and District Operatic Society in 1911. Its current president is the actor Matthew Kelly
, who was born in Urmston. It performs an adult main show in October with rehearsals running from June to October and a pantomime in January/February with rehearsals running from November to the date of the show. Both shows are performed at the Poolside Theatre within the Urmston Leisure Centre. Its youth section performs a show in May at St Antony's Catholic College in Urmston.
Canterbury Players is a local amateur dramatic society. Performances are given on stage at the Davyhulme (Wesley) Methodist Church located in Brook Road, Flixton.
In the mid-20th century there were 20 cinemas in Trafford, of which the only survivor is The New Curzon, in Princess Road Urmston. It opened in 1931, originally named The Curzon. It was converted to a twin cinema and bingo club in the 1970s, and re-opened under its present name of The New Curzon in 1980, after a £100,000 conversion. Since 2003, the building has been shared with Flixton Dance Studio. Recently, due to financial reasons, the New Curzon has been forced to close down.
to play at the Urmston Show at Abbotsfield Park in Chassen Road on Monday 5 August. At the time of the booking, The Beatles were not well known, but had risen in popularity by the time of their appearance. David Hamilton who was the compere
for which he received ten guineas
(£10.50 commented: "The boys were smuggled in in a van ... screaming girls rushed the stage, trying to get hold of their idols ... it was certainly a hard day's night."
Junctions 9 and 10 of the M60
orbital motorway connect Urmston to the rest of Greater Manchester
and the motorway network. A junction previously existed further east along the motorway under its old M63
title, but was closed on the opening of the A6144(M) in 1987. A well known local landmark, opened in 1960, is the Barton High level motorway bridge, which crosses the Manchester Ship Canal
.
Urmston is connected to Liverpool
and Manchester
by the Cheshire Lines Committee
railway line which passes through Warrington
, and Liverpool South Parkway (for Liverpool John Lennon Airport
). There are three railway stations in the Urmston area (Urmston station
in Urmston town centre, Chassen Road
and Flixton
stations in neighbouring Flixton). Trains stopping at these stations are operated by Northern Rail
. Urmston is not served by Metrolink
. The nearest Metrolink stations are in Stretford
and Eccles
.
Pre-1969, most bus services were provided by both Manchester Corporation Transport and the North Western Road Car Company
. North Western had a depot on Higher Road in Urmston Town Centre. The services of both undertakings transferred into SELNEC
PTE, later renamed as GMPTE, and then on 1st April 2011 renamed to TfGM. Today, the area is generally well served by both commercially operated and tendered bus services. Some areas have a frequent service of every 10–15 minutes on some routes, with half hourly frequencies on other routes. Services are run variously by Stagecoach in Manchester
, First Manchester
, JP Travel
, Go Goodwins
and Arriva North West
, providing transport to many parts of Greater Manchester including Manchester City Centre
, Bolton
, Stockport
, the Trafford Centre
and Altrincham
examination.
There are four primary, infant or junior schools in Urmston, including Urmston Infant School, together with an independent prep school, Abbotsford Preparatory School
, in addition to two secondary schools, Urmston Grammar School
and St Antony's Catholic College. Urmston Grammar School is a specialist science
and language college
; the school was assessed as "outstanding" in its February 2006 Ofsted
report. St Antony's Catholic College is a specialist Business and Enterprise College
. In its October 2005 Ofsted report the school was assessed as "a good and improving school with some outstanding features".
As of the 2001 UK census, 82.3% of Urmston's residents reported themselves as being Christian, 0.8% Muslim, 0.2% Hindu, 0.1% Jewish, 0.1% Buddhist and 0.1% Sikh. The census recorded 10.5% as having no religion, 0.1% had an alternative religion and 6.6% did not state their religion. Urmston is in the Catholic Diocese of Salford, and the Church of England Diocese of Manchester.
There are three listed churches in Urmston: the Church of St Clement the Church of St Michael's (Grade II*), and the Church of All Saints
(Grade I).
The Church of All Saints was built in 1867–8 by E. W. Pugin
, in the Gothic Revival
style; the church is said to be a "notably complete and unspoiled" example of Pugin's best work. St Clement's Church was built in 1868 by J Medland Taylor, also in the Gothic Revival
style. The Church of St Michael was first mentioned in 1189–91 although may be even older. It was rebuilt in 1815, 1824, and 1888. There are two listed structures in the grounds of the church, the sundial and the Jones Chest tomb. The Church of St Michael is one of 11 Grade II* listed buildings in Trafford, and All Saints is one of six Grade I listed buildings in Trafford.
, BBC weather presenter and daughter of Bobby Charlton
, was born in Urmston, as was Judy Loe
, actress mother of Kate Beckinsale
and wife of the late Richard Beckinsale
.
Other people born in the town include actor and entertainer Matthew Kelly
, former Manchester City footballer David White
and current City player Michael Johnson, Lynda Baron
, best known for playing Nurse Gladys Emmanuel in Open All Hours
, and Jeremy "Jez" Kerr, singer and bassist of post-punk band A Certain Ratio
. Actor George Coulouris
was partly brought up in Urmston. Keith Hopwood
, the rhythm guitarist of Herman's Hermits
, attended Urmston Grammar School
. Former Manchester United player David Herd
has a home in Urmston; Herd has owned a local garage that still bears his name. Debbie Moore
, founder of Pineapple Dance Studios
was born in the area and Danielle Hope
, the winner of BBC TV's Over the Rainbow
, was also a resident.
The 18th-century caricaturist and satirical poet John Collier
, who used the pseudonym Tim Bobbins, was born in Urmston in 1708. A self-styled Lancashire Hogarth
, his first and most famous work, A View of the Lancashire Dialect, or, Tummus and Mary, appeared in 1746, the earliest significant piece of published Lancashire dialect. A local public house, The Tim Bobbin, is named after him.
Trafford
The Metropolitan Borough of Trafford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It has a population of 211,800, covers , and includes the towns of Altrincham, Partington, Sale, Stretford, and Urmston...
, in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, England, with a population of around 41,000. Historically
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
a part of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, it lies about six miles (10 km) to the southwest of Manchester city centre
Manchester City Centre
Manchester city centre is the central business district of Manchester, England. It lies within the Manchester Inner Ring Road, next to the River Irwell...
. The southern boundary is marked by the River Mersey
River Mersey
The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....
and the Mersey Valley, with Stretford
Stretford
Stretford is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Lying on flat ground between the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal, it is to the southwest of Manchester city centre, south-southwest of Salford and northeast of Altrincham...
lying to the east and Flixton
Flixton, Greater Manchester
Flixton is a village and electoral ward within the Urmston area of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. It lies about six miles to the southwest of Manchester city centre, within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire.Flixton's present-day population is...
to the west. Davyhulme
Davyhulme
Davyhulme is a locality within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. Historically part of Lancashire, it is contiguous with the town of Urmston....
lies to the north of the town centre. Urmston covers an area of 4,799 acres (19 km²).
The town has early medieval origins, and until the arrival of the railway in 1873 was a small farming community. The railway acted as a catalyst, transforming the town into a residence for the middle classes. Today, Urmston is one of the major urban areas within Trafford: it includes the areas of Davyhulme
Davyhulme
Davyhulme is a locality within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. Historically part of Lancashire, it is contiguous with the town of Urmston....
and Flixton
Flixton, Greater Manchester
Flixton is a village and electoral ward within the Urmston area of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. It lies about six miles to the southwest of Manchester city centre, within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire.Flixton's present-day population is...
.
History
In 1983, during an excavation by South Trafford Archaeological GroupSouth Trafford Archaeological Group
The South Trafford Archaeological Group is an archaeological group based in Timperley, Greater Manchester. The group promotes interest in and the study of archaeology and history locally, especially within Trafford but also beyond the borders of the borough...
, fragments of Roman pottery were found in the area now occupied by Urmston cemetery – previously the site of Urmston Old Hall – suggesting that there may have been a Roman settlement on the site. In the early 13th century, Lord Greenhalgh and his family lived Highfield House (under what is now the M60 motorway).
Shortly after the Norman conquest of England
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
, between 1069 and 1070, William the Conqueror led a military campaign against the Saxon Earl Edwin
Edwin, Earl of Mercia
Edwin was the elder brother of Morcar, Earl of Northumbria, son of Ælfgār, Earl of Mercia and grandson of Leofric, Earl of Mercia. He succeeded to his father's title and responsibilities on Ælfgār's death in 1062...
, who ruled England north of the River Mersey. On the campaign's successful conclusion, William gave his kinsman Roger de Poictou all of the land between the River Mersey
River Mersey
The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....
and the River Ribble
River Ribble
The River Ribble is a river that runs through North Yorkshire and Lancashire, in northern England. The river's drainage basin also includes parts of Greater Manchester around Wigan.-Geography:...
. Part of this land was in turn given to Albert de Greslet, who towards the end of the 12th century, bestowed as much land as a team of oxen could plough in one year upon Orme Fitz Seward, the son of Edward Aylward. It is probable that the name Urmston is derived from Orme's Easton, or Ormestun, the "tun" or dwelling of Orme Fitz Seward.
The Manor of Urmston was rented by a family using the local surname. The earliest known member of the Urmston family is Richard de Urmston, who was recorded in 1193–4 as giving 40 shillings "for having the king's good will". Orme Fitz Seward's land passed to Richard de Trafford in the 13th century. The de Trafford family later lost the land, but won it back as the result of a duel.
Hale, Greater Manchester
Hale is a village and electoral ward within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. It is contiguous with the southeast of Altrincham, approximately southwest of the city of Manchester....
and Timperley
Timperley
Timperley is a village within the Altrincham area, of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. Situated within the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, Timperley is approximately seven miles southwest of Manchester....
. Neither of the halls has survived to the present day.
Farming was the main occupation in Urmston until the early 19th century, when weaving became a significant source of employment, although this later declined due to competition from large industry. In 1848, the population was recorded as being 771, with around 80% of the land being farmed. The opening of the Cheshire Lines Railway
Cheshire Lines Committee
The Cheshire Lines Committee was the second largest joint railway in Great Britain, with 143 route miles. Despite its name, approximately 55% of its system was in Lancashire. In its publicity material it was often styled as the Cheshire Lines Railway...
in 1873 allowed the town to grow as a commuter town
Commuter town
A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential, from which most of the workforce commutes out to earn their livelihood. Many commuter towns act as suburbs of a nearby metropolis that workers travel to daily, and many suburbs are commuter towns...
: between 1871 and 1901 the population grew by over 650%, from 996 to 6,594. By 1901, farming had virtually died out in Urmston, and the town became a residence for the middle classes.
In 1948 the then Minister for Health, Aneurin Bevan
Aneurin Bevan
Aneurin "Nye" Bevan was a British Labour Party politician who was the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1959 until his death in 1960. The son of a coal miner, Bevan was a lifelong champion of social justice and the rights of working people...
, conducted the symbolic inauguration of the National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
at Davyhulme's Park Hospital, now renamed Trafford General Hospital. The area was home to the first District heating
District heating
District heating is a system for distributing heat generated in a centralized location for residential and commercial heating requirements such as space heating and water heating...
system in England. In operation by 1948, a boiler house supplied hot water to 200 homes on a newly-built housing estate. The water was heated with low-grade fuels such as peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
and coke
Coke (fuel)
Coke is the solid carbonaceous material derived from destructive distillation of low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal. Cokes from coal are grey, hard, and porous. While coke can be formed naturally, the commonly used form is man-made.- History :...
, with houses built in groups of four for better efficiency.
Governance
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
of the administrative county
Administrative counties of England
Administrative counties were a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government from 1889 to 1974. They were created by the Local Government Act 1888 as the areas for which county councils were elected. Some large counties were divided into several administrative...
of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, under the Local Government Act 1894
Local Government Act 1894
The Local Government Act 1894 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The Act followed the reforms carried out at county level under the Local Government Act 1888...
. The Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
abolished the Urban District of Urmston
Urmston Urban District
Urmston Urban District was, from 1894 to 1974, a local government district in the administrative county of Lancashire, England which covered the modern-day district of Urmston.The Urban District was created by the Local Government Act 1894...
and in 1974 Urmston became a district of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in the metropolitan county
Metropolitan county
The metropolitan counties are a type of county-level administrative division of England. There are six metropolitan counties, which each cover large urban areas, typically with populations of 1.2 to 2.8 million...
of Greater Manchester.
The parliamentary constituency of Stretford and Urmston was formed in 1997. Kate Green
Kate Green
Katherine Anne 'Kate' Green OBE is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Stretford and Urmston since 2010.-Early life:Green was born in Edinburgh to Maurice and Jessie Craig Green...
, a member of the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, became the MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
at the 2010 General Election, with a majority of 8,935, representing 48.6% of the vote. The Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
took 28.7% of the vote, the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
16.9%, the United Kingdom Independence Party
United Kingdom Independence Party
The United Kingdom Independence Party is a eurosceptic and right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. Whilst its primary goal is the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, the party has expanded beyond its single-issue image to develop a more comprehensive party platform.UKIP...
3.4%, the Green Party
Green Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
2.0%, and the Christian Party 0.4%.
Urmston is one of the four major urban areas in Trafford, the other three being Altrincham
Altrincham
Altrincham is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on flat ground south of the River Mersey about southwest of Manchester city centre, south-southwest of Sale and east of Warrington...
, Sale
Sale, Greater Manchester
Sale is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Historically part of Cheshire, the town lies on flat ground on the south bank of the River Mersey, south of Stretford, northeast of Altrincham, and southwest of the city of Manchester...
and Stretford
Stretford
Stretford is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Lying on flat ground between the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal, it is to the southwest of Manchester city centre, south-southwest of Salford and northeast of Altrincham...
. In local elections for Trafford
Trafford
The Metropolitan Borough of Trafford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It has a population of 211,800, covers , and includes the towns of Altrincham, Partington, Sale, Stretford, and Urmston...
Council, Urmston is split into four wards: Davyhulme East, Davyhulme West, Flixton and Urmston. Like every other ward in Trafford they are each represented by three local councillors, giving Urmston 12 of the 63 seats on Trafford Council; as of the 2010 local election
Trafford Council election, 2010
Elections to Trafford Council were held on 6 May 2010. One-third of the council was up for election, with each successful candidate to serve a four-year term of office, expiring in 2014...
eleven of these were held by the Conservative Party, and one by Labour. The wards elect in thirds on a four yearly cycle
United Kingdom local elections, 2007
The 2007 UK local government elections were held on 3 May 2007. These elections took place in most of England and all of Scotland. There were no local government elections in Wales though the Welsh Assembly had a general election on the same day. There were no local government elections in Northern...
.
Geography
Temperate
In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...
, with few extremes of temperature or weather. The mean temperature is slightly above average for the United Kingdom. Annual rainfall and average amount of sunshine are both slightly below the average for the UK.
Urmston comprises the local areas of Davyhulme
Davyhulme
Davyhulme is a locality within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. Historically part of Lancashire, it is contiguous with the town of Urmston....
, Flixton
Flixton, Greater Manchester
Flixton is a village and electoral ward within the Urmston area of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. It lies about six miles to the southwest of Manchester city centre, within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire.Flixton's present-day population is...
, and Urmston, with the River Mersey
River Mersey
The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....
forming the southern boundary. For administrative reasons, Partington is sometimes considered to be part of Urmston. The most southerly part of Urmston lies within the flood plain of the River Mersey, an area known as Urmston Meadows, part of the Mersey Valley. Much work was carried out in the 1970s to canalise the Mersey, in an effort to speed up the flow of floodwater and thus reduce the risk of flooding. Upstream emergency floodbasins such as Sale Water Park
Sale Water Park
Sale Water Park is a area of countryside and parkland including a artificial lake in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. Opened in 1979 and owned by Trafford council, the water park lies in an area of the green belt running through the Mersey river valley between...
, lying just to the east of Urmston, have also been constructed. The M60 Manchester orbital motorway
M60 motorway
The M60 motorway, or Manchester Orbital, is an orbital motorway circling Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. It passes through all Greater Manchester's metropolitan boroughs except for Wigan and Bolton...
passes through the northern half of Urmston, from southeast to northwest, and the M62 motorway
M62 motorway
The M62 motorway is a west–east trans-Pennine motorway in Northern England, connecting the cities of Liverpool and Hull via Manchester and Leeds. The road also forms part of the unsigned Euroroutes E20 and E22...
lies just to the west. The Thirlmere Aqueduct
Thirlmere Aqueduct
The Thirlmere Aqueduct is part of a water supply system built by the Manchester Corporation Water Works between 1890 and 1925.The aqueduct was built to carry approximately per day of water from Thirlmere Reservoir to Manchester. The construction of the reservoir and aqueduct was authorised by the...
also passes through the Urmston area.
Demography
| Urmston compared | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 UK Census United Kingdom Census 2001 A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194.... |
Urmston | Trafford | England |
| Total population | 40,964 | 210,145 | 49,138,831 |
| White | 96.8% | 91.6% | 90.9% |
| Asian | 1.0% | 4.1% | 4.6% |
| Black | 0.7% | 2.0% | 2.3% |
As of the 2001 UK census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, Urmston had a population of 40,964. The population density was 10881 PD/sqmi, and for every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. Of the 19,172 households in Urmston, 39.9% were married couples living together, 29.6% were one-person households, 7.7% were co-habiting
Cohabitation
Cohabitation usually refers to an arrangement whereby two people decide to live together on a long-term or permanent basis in an emotionally and/or sexually intimate relationship. The term is most frequently applied to couples who are not married...
couples and 8.9% were lone parents. Of those aged 16–74 in Urmston, 25.5% had no academic qualifications, slightly high compared to 21.3% for all of Trafford but slightly lower than the and 28.9% in England.
| Population growth Population growth Population growth is the change in a population over time, and can be quantified as the change in the number of individuals of any species in a population using "per unit time" for measurement.... in Urmston since 1801 |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1801 | 1811 | 1821 | 1831 | 1841 | 1851 | 1861 | 1871 | 1881 | 1891 | 1901 | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | 1939 | 1951 | 1961 | 1971 | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 |
| Population | 532 | 595 | 645 | 706 | 771 | 730 | 748 | 996 | 2,242 | 4,042 | 6,594 | 7,912 | 8,297 | 9,284 | 33,163 | 39,237 | 43,068 | 44,563 | 44,030 | 41,804 | 40,964 |
| Civil Parish 1861–1891 Urban District 1901–1971 Urban Subdivision 1981–2001 Other Data | |||||||||||||||||||||
Economy
The Trafford Centre, a large shopping and leisure complex, is situated at DumplingtonDumplington
Dumplington is an area in Urmston, Greater Manchester. It is dominated by the shopping complex centred on the Trafford Centre.Dumplington was one of several hamlets in the township of Barton on Irwell, in the ancient ecclesiastical parish...
, in the north of Urmston. Some local residents felt that it brought about the decline of Urmston Precinct, the town's central shopping area – dating back to the 1960s – where many units closed or became "pound shops". As of 2007, Urmston Precinct is being demolished and a £45 million redevelopment of the site is underway, to include 140000 square feet (13,006 m²) of retail and leisure space and 144 apartments. A new Sainsbury's opened in the summer of 2009 as did the relocated local library with the rest of the new shopping precinct expected to follow later in the year.
Semi-detached
Semi-detached housing consists of pairs of houses built side by side as units sharing a party wall and usually in such a way that each house's layout is a mirror image of its twin...
home in Urmston is £155,475, whilst a detached house will cost on average £247,630. Semi-detached prices have more than doubled from an average of £60,000 in 1998, although house prices in most areas of the country have seen a similar increase. These figures are, however, below the England and Wales
England and Wales
England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...
average.
As of the 2001 UK census, Urmston had a possible workforce of approximately 32,996 people. The economic activity of residents in Urmston was 46.1% in full-time employment, 12.6% in part-time employment, 6.9% self-employed, 2.1% unemployed, 2.5% students with jobs, 3.0% students without jobs, 14.7% retired, 4.5% looking after home or family, 5.4% permanently sick or disabled and 2.2% economically inactive for other reasons. Urmston has a low rate of unemployment (2.1%) compared with Trafford (2.7%) and England (3.3%). The Office for National Statistics
Office for National Statistics
The Office for National Statistics is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the Parliament of the United Kingdom.- Overview :...
estimated that during the period of April 2001 to March 2002 the average gross weekly income of households in Urmston was £504 (£26,209 per year).
According to the 2001 UK census, the industry of employment of residents in Urmston was 17.1% retail and wholesale, 14.0% health and social work, 13.9% manufacturing, 13.4% property and business services, 8.1% transport and communications, 7.2% education, 6.8% construction, 5.3% finance, 4.9% public administration and defence, 3.4% hotels and restaurants, 0.9% energy and water supply, 0.4% agriculture, 0.1% in mining, and 4.3% other. This was roughly in line with national figures.
Cultural events and venues
The Urmston Musical TheatreUrmston Musical Theatre
Urmston Musical Theatre is an amateur theatre company based in Urmston, Greater Manchester, UK.-History:The organisation was formed in 1911 as the Urmston and District Operatic Society, and produced H.M.S. Pinafore at the Urmston Public Hall...
was formed as the Urmston and District Operatic Society in 1911. Its current president is the actor Matthew Kelly
Matthew Kelly
Matthew Kelly is an English television presenter and Olivier-award winning actor. Having been trained as a theatre actor, he first came to public prominence as a television presenter of ITV light entertainment shows such as You Bet! and Stars in Their Eyes...
, who was born in Urmston. It performs an adult main show in October with rehearsals running from June to October and a pantomime in January/February with rehearsals running from November to the date of the show. Both shows are performed at the Poolside Theatre within the Urmston Leisure Centre. Its youth section performs a show in May at St Antony's Catholic College in Urmston.
Canterbury Players is a local amateur dramatic society. Performances are given on stage at the Davyhulme (Wesley) Methodist Church located in Brook Road, Flixton.
In the mid-20th century there were 20 cinemas in Trafford, of which the only survivor is The New Curzon, in Princess Road Urmston. It opened in 1931, originally named The Curzon. It was converted to a twin cinema and bingo club in the 1970s, and re-opened under its present name of The New Curzon in 1980, after a £100,000 conversion. Since 2003, the building has been shared with Flixton Dance Studio. Recently, due to financial reasons, the New Curzon has been forced to close down.
The Beatles
In 1963 the council booked The BeatlesThe Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
to play at the Urmston Show at Abbotsfield Park in Chassen Road on Monday 5 August. At the time of the booking, The Beatles were not well known, but had risen in popularity by the time of their appearance. David Hamilton who was the compere
Master of Ceremonies
A Master of Ceremonies , or compere, is the host of a staged event or similar performance.An MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving....
for which he received ten guineas
Guinea (British coin)
The guinea is a coin that was minted in the Kingdom of England and later in the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom between 1663 and 1813...
(£10.50 commented: "The boys were smuggled in in a van ... screaming girls rushed the stage, trying to get hold of their idols ... it was certainly a hard day's night."
Sport
Urmston Cricket Club was founded in 1846 as Urmston & Flixton Cricket Club. As well as serving as a social club, it expanded to include other sports including hockey, tennis, and bowls. The club has been located on Moorside Road since 1870. Urmston Riding Club was established in 1956 on Southgate on the Urmston–Flixton border, and has approximately 150 members. AFC Urmston provides football coaching facilities, and has teams ranging from under 7s to under 17s. The club was founded in 1977, as Meadowside Athletic FC, and has won the Manchester County FA Youth Cup.Transport
M60 motorway
The M60 motorway, or Manchester Orbital, is an orbital motorway circling Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. It passes through all Greater Manchester's metropolitan boroughs except for Wigan and Bolton...
orbital motorway connect Urmston to the rest of Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
and the motorway network. A junction previously existed further east along the motorway under its old M63
M63 motorway
The M63 motorway was a major road in the United Kingdom. It was completely renumbered as part of the M60 motorway in 1999.- Formation of the M63 :The earliest section of the M63 opened in 1960 as part of the M62 motorway...
title, but was closed on the opening of the A6144(M) in 1987. A well known local landmark, opened in 1960, is the Barton High level motorway bridge, which crosses the Manchester Ship Canal
Manchester Ship Canal
The Manchester Ship Canal is a river navigation 36 miles long in the North West of England. Starting at the Mersey Estuary near Liverpool, it generally follows the original routes of the rivers Mersey and Irwell through the historic counties of Cheshire and Lancashire. Several sets of locks lift...
.
Urmston is connected to Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
by the Cheshire Lines Committee
Cheshire Lines Committee
The Cheshire Lines Committee was the second largest joint railway in Great Britain, with 143 route miles. Despite its name, approximately 55% of its system was in Lancashire. In its publicity material it was often styled as the Cheshire Lines Railway...
railway line which passes through Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
, and Liverpool South Parkway (for Liverpool John Lennon Airport
Liverpool John Lennon Airport
Liverpool John Lennon Airport is an international airport serving the city of Liverpool and the North West of England. Formerly known as Speke Airport, RAF Speke, and Liverpool Airport the airport is located within the City of Liverpool adjacent to the estuary of the River Mersey some southeast...
). There are three railway stations in the Urmston area (Urmston station
Urmston railway station
Urmston railway station in Urmston is in the Trafford metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in the north west of England. The station is 9 km west of Manchester Oxford Road on the Manchester-Liverpool Line...
in Urmston town centre, Chassen Road
Chassen Road railway station
Chassen Road railway station is in the Trafford metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in the north west of England. The station, and all services calling there, is operated by Northern Rail...
and Flixton
Flixton railway station
Flixton railway station is located in the village of Flixton, in the Trafford Metropolitan Borough of Greater Manchester in the north west of England. The station, and all services calling there, are operated by Northern Rail...
stations in neighbouring Flixton). Trains stopping at these stations are operated by Northern Rail
Northern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
. Urmston is not served by Metrolink
Manchester Metrolink
Metrolink is a light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. It consists of four lines which converge in Manchester city centre and terminate in Bury, Altrincham, Eccles and Chorlton-cum-Hardy. The system is owned by Transport for Greater Manchester and operated under contract by RATP Group...
. The nearest Metrolink stations are in Stretford
Stretford
Stretford is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Lying on flat ground between the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal, it is to the southwest of Manchester city centre, south-southwest of Salford and northeast of Altrincham...
and Eccles
Eccles, Greater Manchester
Eccles is a town in the City of Salford, a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in North West England, west of Salford and west of Manchester city centre...
.
Pre-1969, most bus services were provided by both Manchester Corporation Transport and the North Western Road Car Company
North Western Road Car Company (1923)
The North Western Road Car Company was a bus company located in Stockport, England. Formed in 1923 from the existing bus services of the British Automobile Traction Company Limited operations based in Macclesfield, the new company grew to operate bus services in five counties The North Western...
. North Western had a depot on Higher Road in Urmston Town Centre. The services of both undertakings transferred into SELNEC
Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive
Transport for Greater Manchester is the public body responsible for co-ordinating public transport services throughout Greater Manchester, in North West England. The organisation traces its origins to the Transport Act 1968, when the SELNEC Passenger Transport Executive was established to...
PTE, later renamed as GMPTE, and then on 1st April 2011 renamed to TfGM. Today, the area is generally well served by both commercially operated and tendered bus services. Some areas have a frequent service of every 10–15 minutes on some routes, with half hourly frequencies on other routes. Services are run variously by Stagecoach in Manchester
Stagecoach in Manchester
Stagecoach in Manchester is the trading name of Greater Manchester Buses South Limited, and is a major operator of bus services in Greater Manchester....
, First Manchester
First Manchester
First Manchester is one of the bus companies serving Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. It forms part of FirstGroup, a company operating transport services across the British Isles and in North America...
, JP Travel
JP Travel
JP Travel, sometimes known as JPT or Jpt Bus Company, is a bus company based at Middleton in Greater Manchester, England. The company is owned by Janet and Peter Walsh and runs local services in the North Manchester area. The JP in JP Travel forms the initials of their first names.-History:The...
, Go Goodwins
Go Goodwins
Go Goodwins is a family-run bus company based in Eccles, Manchester, which operates passenger bus services across the south-west Manchester area and private hire coaches.-History:The company has been owned by the Goodwin family for five generations....
and Arriva North West
Arriva North West
Arriva North West is a division of Arriva that operates bus services around North West England. It consists of two companies: Arriva North West Ltd and Arriva Merseyside Ltd....
, providing transport to many parts of Greater Manchester including Manchester City Centre
Manchester City Centre
Manchester city centre is the central business district of Manchester, England. It lies within the Manchester Inner Ring Road, next to the River Irwell...
, Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
, Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
, the Trafford Centre
Trafford Centre
The Trafford Centre is a large indoor shopping centre and leisure complex situated in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, close to the Trafford Park industrial estate and approximately 5 miles from Manchester city centre. It is the highest valued shopping centre in the...
and Altrincham
Altrincham
Altrincham is a market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on flat ground south of the River Mersey about southwest of Manchester city centre, south-southwest of Sale and east of Warrington...
Education
Along with the rest of Trafford, Urmston maintains a selective education system assessed by the Eleven PlusEleven plus
In the United Kingdom, the 11-plus or Eleven plus is an examination administered to some students in their last year of primary education, governing admission to various types of secondary school. The name derives from the age group for secondary entry: 11–12 years...
examination.
There are four primary, infant or junior schools in Urmston, including Urmston Infant School, together with an independent prep school, Abbotsford Preparatory School
Abbotsford Preparatory School
Abbotsford Preparatory School is an independent day school located in Urmston, Greater Manchester, England.-History:Abbotsford Preparatory School was founded as Caius House School in 1908, and was originally located on Church Road, Urmston before moving to its present location on Flixton Road in...
, in addition to two secondary schools, Urmston Grammar School
Urmston Grammar School
Urmston Grammar, known as Urmston Grammar School until September 2010, is a co-educational grammar school in Urmston, Greater Manchester, England. It is a state school within Trafford Local Authority. The school was assessed as "outstanding" in its 2008 Ofsted report...
and St Antony's Catholic College. Urmston Grammar School is a specialist science
Science College
Science Colleges were introduced in 2002 as part of the now defunct Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enabled secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, science and mathematics...
and language college
Language College
Language Colleges were introduced in 1995 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, modern foreign languages...
; the school was assessed as "outstanding" in its February 2006 Ofsted
Office for Standards in Education
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
report. St Antony's Catholic College is a specialist Business and Enterprise College
Business and Enterprise College
Business and Enterprise Colleges were introduced in 2002 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields...
. In its October 2005 Ofsted report the school was assessed as "a good and improving school with some outstanding features".
Religion
| Urmston Compared | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 UK Census United Kingdom Census 2001 A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194.... |
Urmston | Trafford | England |
| Total population | 40,964 | 210,145 | 49,138,831 |
| Christian | 81.5% | 75.8% | 71.7% |
| Muslim | 0.8% | 3.3% | 3.1% |
| Sikh | 0.1% | 0.5% | 0.7% |
| Hindu | 0.2% | 0.6% | 1.1% |
| Buddhist | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Jewish | 0.1% | 1.1% | 0.5% |
| No religion | 11.2% | 12.0% | 14.6% |
As of the 2001 UK census, 82.3% of Urmston's residents reported themselves as being Christian, 0.8% Muslim, 0.2% Hindu, 0.1% Jewish, 0.1% Buddhist and 0.1% Sikh. The census recorded 10.5% as having no religion, 0.1% had an alternative religion and 6.6% did not state their religion. Urmston is in the Catholic Diocese of Salford, and the Church of England Diocese of Manchester.
There are three listed churches in Urmston: the Church of St Clement the Church of St Michael's (Grade II*), and the Church of All Saints
All Saints' Church, Urmston
All Saints' Church is a Roman Catholic church in Urmston, Greater Manchester, England, and is located on Redclyffe Road . The church was constructed between 1867 and 1868 and was designed by E. W. Pugin in the Gothic Revival style for Sir Humphrey de Trafford...
(Grade I).
E. W. Pugin
Edward Welby Pugin was the eldest son of Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin and Louisa Barton. His father, A. W. N. Pugin, was a famous architect and designer of Neo-Gothic architecture, and after his death in 1852 Edward took up his successful practice...
, in the Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style; the church is said to be a "notably complete and unspoiled" example of Pugin's best work. St Clement's Church was built in 1868 by J Medland Taylor, also in the Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style. The Church of St Michael was first mentioned in 1189–91 although may be even older. It was rebuilt in 1815, 1824, and 1888. There are two listed structures in the grounds of the church, the sundial and the Jones Chest tomb. The Church of St Michael is one of 11 Grade II* listed buildings in Trafford, and All Saints is one of six Grade I listed buildings in Trafford.
Notable people
Suzanne CharltonSuzanne Charlton
Suzanne Charlton is a British BBC weather forecaster.-Career:Charlton graduated from the University of Reading in 1985 with a degree in Physics and Meteorology, and in September of that year joined the Met Office in Bracknell, where she worked as a computer programmer.In 1987, she transferred to...
, BBC weather presenter and daughter of Bobby Charlton
Bobby Charlton
Sir Robert "Bobby" Charlton CBE is an English former professional football player, a member of the England team who won the World Cup and Ballon d'Or for European Footballer of the Year in 1966...
, was born in Urmston, as was Judy Loe
Judy Loe
Judith M. "Judy" Loe is an English actress. She was the widow of actor Richard Beckinsale and is now married to director Roy Battersby...
, actress mother of Kate Beckinsale
Kate Beckinsale
Kathryn Bailey "Kate" Beckinsale is an English actress. After some minor television roles, she made her film debut in Much Ado About Nothing while still a student at Oxford University...
and wife of the late Richard Beckinsale
Richard Beckinsale
Richard Arthur Beckinsale was an English actor, best known for his roles as Lennie Godber in the popular BBC sitcom Porridge and Alan Moore in the British sitcom Rising Damp....
.
Other people born in the town include actor and entertainer Matthew Kelly
Matthew Kelly
Matthew Kelly is an English television presenter and Olivier-award winning actor. Having been trained as a theatre actor, he first came to public prominence as a television presenter of ITV light entertainment shows such as You Bet! and Stars in Their Eyes...
, former Manchester City footballer David White
David White (English footballer)
David White is a former English footballer, best remembered for his eight-year spell at Manchester City. He also played for Leeds and Sheffield United, and was capped once by England....
and current City player Michael Johnson, Lynda Baron
Lynda Baron
Lynda Baron is a BAFTA-nominated English stage, film and television actress, perhaps best known for playing the extremely busty Nurse Gladys Emmanuel, the object of Arkwright's affection, in the BBC comedy series Open All Hours....
, best known for playing Nurse Gladys Emmanuel in Open All Hours
Open All Hours
Open All Hours is a BBC sitcom written by Roy Clarke which ran for four series a first run in 1976, a second run in 1981, third in 1982 and finally with a fourth run in 1985, with a pilot episode from the Seven of One series in 1973...
, and Jeremy "Jez" Kerr, singer and bassist of post-punk band A Certain Ratio
A Certain Ratio
A Certain Ratio are a Post-punk band formed in 1977 in Manchester, England. While originally part of the punk rock movement, they soon added funk and dance elements to their sound. They are sometimes referred to as "post punk funk"...
. Actor George Coulouris
George Coulouris
George Coulouris was a prominent English film and stage actor.-Early life:Coulouris was born in Manchester, England, the son of Abigail and Nicholas Coulouris, a merchant of Greek origin. He was brought up both in Manchester and nearby Urmston and was educated at Manchester Grammar School...
was partly brought up in Urmston. Keith Hopwood
Keith Hopwood
Keith Hopwood is an English musician, singer-songwriter, composer, businessman and record producer, who served as the rhythm guitarist and backing vocals for the 1960s pop band, Herman's Hermits...
, the rhythm guitarist of Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits are an English beat band, formed in Manchester in 1963 as Herman & The Hermits. The group's record producer, Mickie Most , emphasized a simple, non-threatening, clean-cut image, although the band originally played R&B numbers...
, attended Urmston Grammar School
Urmston Grammar School
Urmston Grammar, known as Urmston Grammar School until September 2010, is a co-educational grammar school in Urmston, Greater Manchester, England. It is a state school within Trafford Local Authority. The school was assessed as "outstanding" in its 2008 Ofsted report...
. Former Manchester United player David Herd
David Herd (footballer)
David George Herd is a Scottish former international association footballer. His regular position was as a forward where he was a consistent goal scorer.-Family:...
has a home in Urmston; Herd has owned a local garage that still bears his name. Debbie Moore
Debbie Moore
Debbie Moore OBE , is an English model and business woman who is most noted as the founder of Pineapple Dance Studios and its associated clothing brand...
, founder of Pineapple Dance Studios
Pineapple Dance Studios
Pineapple Dance Studios is a dance studio complex based in the Covent Garden area of central London, England. It was founded by the English model and businesswoman Debbie Moore in 1979. The studio is used for castings and rehearsals by dance companies, record labels, television networks, film...
was born in the area and Danielle Hope
Danielle Hope
Danielle Hope is an English actress and singer. She is the winner of the BBC talent contest Over The Rainbow and as a result is currently playing the part of Dorothy in the Andrew Lloyd Webber production of The Wizard of Oz, which began performances in the West End at the London Palladium in...
, the winner of BBC TV's Over the Rainbow
Over the Rainbow (2010 TV series)
Over the Rainbow is a British television talent series which aired on BBC One from March to May 2010. It documents the search for a new, undiscovered musical theatre performer to play the role of Dorothy in the forthcoming Andrew Lloyd Webber stage production of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and a...
, was also a resident.
The 18th-century caricaturist and satirical poet John Collier
John Collier (caricaturist)
John Collier was an English caricaturist and satirical poet known by the pseudonym of Tim Bobbin, or Timothy Bobbin. Collier styled himself as the Lancashire Hogarth....
, who used the pseudonym Tim Bobbins, was born in Urmston in 1708. A self-styled Lancashire Hogarth
William Hogarth
William Hogarth was an English painter, printmaker, pictorial satirist, social critic and editorial cartoonist who has been credited with pioneering western sequential art. His work ranged from realistic portraiture to comic strip-like series of pictures called "modern moral subjects"...
, his first and most famous work, A View of the Lancashire Dialect, or, Tummus and Mary, appeared in 1746, the earliest significant piece of published Lancashire dialect. A local public house, The Tim Bobbin, is named after him.
External links
External maps and images
- Map of the Borough of Trafford from Trafford MBC
- Map of Urmston Town Centre from Trafford MBC
- Urmston from the air
